Chapter 42 #2
He took a moment to appraise the arena. Civilians had jumped the far balcony and were sprinting toward them across the dirt floor.
Others scrambled to try and find safety.
Lazarus had wandered out of the hidden salt circle and was cackling at the pandemonium he’d created.
But for now, at least, he wasn’t causing any more trouble.
Killian turned to the rest of the Guard.
“I need eight men each—here, here, and here,” he instructed, pointing to the entrances of the pagoda.
“No one crosses these lines. Another eight need to head down to the arena floor and keep anyone from climbing up here. The rest of you spread out across the stadium. Find anyone who’s injured and get them to the infirmary as quickly as you can. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the soldiers shouted back.
Killlan’s heart swelled with pride at that, but he didn’t have time to bask in the feeling.
“Killian,” Elyse said, her voice urgent as she tugged at his sleeve.
He twisted toward the railing, expecting to see Lazarus slaughtering innocents.
What he saw instead caught him off guard.
On the other side of the banister, down on the arena floor, stood an enormous man whose red beard was drenched in sweat.
Behind him were twenty more warriors, all armed with various weapons.
Killian recognized the other competitors—the swordsmen and archers, and even the woman who had thrown knives for show.
They all looked menacing, like they were hungry for a fight.
“Remek!” Killian called down.
Never in a million years could he have predicted what Remek did next.
“Lieutenant,” he answered in that gravelly voice of his. “How can we help?”
Killian’s lips curled into a smile. “Split up. Help as many as you can get out of the arena safely.”
“Aye,” Remek said as he raised his sword in acknowledgement. Then he tilted his head toward Lazarus, who was shooting balls of fire into the stands. “You got a plan for that bastard?”
“Yeah,” Killian almost laughed. “I’ve got a plan.”
Remek nodded. “Make it a good show, will ya?” He turned away and began spouting off directions to the others.
Killian shook his head, clearing his jumbled thoughts as Remek and the others dispersed. The guards in the pagoda had taken up their posts and were successfully fending off the crowd. Killian was about to convene with Elyse when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A swirling purple mass was forming at the north end of the stands. It swallowed up the air as it moved and flexed, undulating in the sunlight.
“A portal,” Sera uttered.
Indeed, the shimmering mass seemed otherworldly, like a glimpse into the fabric of the universe. It grew rapidly as civilians shrieked and sprinted away from it.
Killian spotted Lazarus, still on the arena floor. He was moving his hands like a conductor, coaxing the portal to bloom wider, even from a hundred yards away.
“Is he leaving?” Manny asked. He sounded as confused as Killian felt.
“No,” Elyse answered, her brow furrowed in concentration. “He’s bringing something here.”
Killian squinted. Horrified, he saw what she meant. Dark figures lurked behind the shimmering layers of the portal. He could hear their snarls, as if the magic was amplifying the sound.
A single snout poked through the portal, followed by a massive, dripping maw with mangled teeth. It took a curious sniff. The creature must have decided it was satisfied with the fear and blood it scented, because a second later it came barreling through the portal.
Killian had never seen anything like it.
The creature was shaped like a dog but the size of a horse.
Each enormous paw had four claws as thick as knives.
Its fur was tattered and matted, patchy along its whole body, as though it had been torn apart and sewn back together.
And its eyes blazed red with unnerving bloodlust.
“Hellhounds,” Elyse declared in a chilling voice.
Five, ten, twenty of them spilled out of the portal, each as horrifying as the last. Streaks of gray flew through the stands as the Hellhounds pounced, pointed teeth gnashing with feral delight.
Most of the citizens had already fled the area, but the few who had stayed and were now being stalked as prey.
“Zubir!” Killian called out.
Zubir was beside him in an instant. His black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and his expression was one of brave determination. As he stood straight with his chest out and his shoulders back, he could easily have been mistaken for an official member of the Guard.
They only had to exchange a look before Zubir nodded once. “We’ll handle the Hellhounds,” he said. As he turned to face his cousins, he was already shifting. His hands and feet morphed into enormous paws tipped in sharp nails. He fell forward onto all fours as a snout overtook his human face.
At the same time, his cousins transformed as well.
The sound of ripping fabric occluded everything else for a brief moment before howls filled the air.
In a matter of seconds, a herd of formidable black wolves filled the cramped space.
As Killian took in their muscled bodies and piercing teeth, he was glad they were on his side.
Zubir charged through the group and leapt over the banister, down to the arena floor. His cousins followed, howling their enthusiasm. Zubir shot one last look over his furry shoulder, his gray eyes glittering with something remarkable.
Freedom—that’s what Killian saw in his eyes.
“That’s everything,” Killian said as he pulled Elyse, Manny, and Sera into a huddle. “We let them handle the rest, and we go after Lazarus.”
He reached for the Blade of Hanael at his belt, ready to dive into the fray, when Sera said, “No.”
“No?” Killian's brows pressed together. He took in Sera’s posture. Her chin was high, her expression resolute. But her hands wrung together with worry.
“The portal is still open,” she declared.
“Lazarus is the priority,” Manny said. “The Hellhounds have stopped coming through.” He shook his head, like he was confused by Sera’s words.
“There’s something else,” Sera urged with chilling certainty. “Something far worse is coming. A monster with wings that breathes fire.” Her gaze fell, settling on her feet. “I’ve seen it.”
Manny swore.
Killian frowned. If she’d had visions of whatever they were about to face, why hadn’t she told anyone until now? Frustration seeped into his voice as he asked, “How much time do we have?”
“Not much,” Sera answered in a grave voice. Her purple eyes flicked to Manny for a fraction of a second, terror in her expression. That one tiny movement said it all: whatever monster was coming from the portal, it was going to attack Manny.
“Fuck.” Killian breathed the word out hard. He looked to Lazarus, who was slashing his shadowy sword at fleeing civilians, and laughing all the while. “What else did you see?” he asked. He pointed his finger at Lazarus. “If we close the portal, do we stop him?”
“I don’t know.” Sera's chin wobbled, but she didn’t cower. Killian could see her fighting back the tears welling in her eyes.
Manny nodded. “Okay, my love. We’ll close the portal.”
Killian agreed. He would do whatever it took to keep Manny safe. “How do we close it?”
Sera’s nostrils flared—almost imperceptibly. Her voice wavered slightly as she said, “It will take two of us. One on each side.”
The two men stared at the seer, not fully registering her words—or not wanting to.
“Absolutely not,” Manny declared. “No one is going through there.”
“Not no one,” Sera told him. She swallowed and added, “Me. I’m going.”
“But you’ll be trapped—” Manny began.
Sera cut him off, a fervor in her voice.
“If that thing comes through, it will kill you. I have seen you die a hundred times. I have envisioned every possible outcome, studied every scenario over and over again. They have all ended with your death. All but one. We must close the portal. I must close the portal.”
Killian stared at Sera, at the determination on her face, and he understood.
He remembered their conversation in the library, when he had found her studying portals in secret.
He thought of her sullen disposition over the last few weeks, the sudden outburst of tears at the mention of building a family with Manny. It had all been leading up to this.
She knew she would be trapped on the other side. Her decision was made. She would give up her life in this world in exchange for the chance for Manny to live.
Killian pivoted to face Elyse. Her hands were balled into fist, so tight she was trembling. Her face was contorted as if she was in physical pain. But she said nothing. And suddenly, Killian understood.
“You knew, didn't you?” he uttered.
Silver shimmered in Elyse’s gray eyes as she lifted her face to Killian’s. “I would do the same if it was you.”
Killian’s chest constricted. He had no words. He was furious—yet he held so much sympathy for Elyse, for her burdened heart, for the secret that she’d kept. For the grief and the doubt she was certainly feeling.
Screams reverberated as both Hellhounds and humans ravaged the arena, but all Killian could focus on was his friends in front of him. All of the sympathy he felt for Elyse was nothing compared to his heartache for Manny.
“No! No!” Manny’s voice shook as he pleaded.
“Elyse can go. She can protect herself. She can transport herself back here after she closes the portal.” He gripped both of Sera’s shoulders, his eyes wide as he begged his beloved.
“But not you. That creature—that monster that would kill me—it’s on the other side. And you expect me to just let you go?”
Killian opened his mouth, trying to think of something worthwhile to say that would plead Manny’s case. Elyse laid a hand on his arm, stopping him.
Sera leaned down to Manny until their foreheads were nearly touching.
She inhaled him, as if enjoying his scent for the last time.
“Elyse cannot do this. She can’t transport back from another world.
She belongs here, defeating Lazarus.” She placed her hand on Manny’s cheek.
“I have known for a very long time that I would meet you, my twin soul. And I have never been able to see much after that. This is what I am destined to do.”
Across the arena, a roaring erupted from the portal. Manny shot a panicked glance toward it, but Sera gently guided his chin back to her.
“You are my husband, and I am your wife. Nothing and no one can take that away from us.”
“No,” Manny pleaded again. “But you are my heart, my world. You are the star that shines brightest, guiding me home.”
Sera’s lips were suddenly on his, smothering any protests. She squeezed her eyes tight.
As she pulled away, she whispered, “Et stellae exurere.”
Even the stars burn out.
All the pieces of Killian’s heart, the ones that had been broken and mended so many times, shattered like glass.
Manny was many things, but helpless was not one of them.
He had raised himself to fight—as an orphan abandoned to the streets, as a soldier, as the friend who always had his back.
But he had never seemed so lost as he did in that moment.
“I won’t let you go,” Manny insisted through a clenched jaw. He reached for Sera, but she had already stepped away.
“I’m sorry.” A tear slid down her cheek. “My heart is yours forever,” she whispered, repeating her wedding vow.
It was at that moment that Killian realized Elyse’s hand was no longer on his arm. That she had instead slipped her hand into Sera’s. And that she was giving Manny an apologetic look.
Killian lunged, his hands flailing toward the women. But in the blink of an eye, they were gone.